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By State Representative Christine P. Barber

As I look back on 2019, I would like to take a moment to say thank you. Thanks to the partnership and action of people in Somerville and Medford, we have accomplished so much together for our community. We succeeded in moving forward several local projects and made important investments to benefit all residents. In the face of cruelty and division coming out of Washington, I am proud to represent a community of people who work collaboratively and inclusively to make changes in their neighborhood and to advocate for important policies to benefit our entire state.

As State Representative, the best part of my job is working with my constituents to address the needs in our communities. Below is just a sample of what we have worked on together this year.

Investing in Education – Student Opportunity Act

With input and guidance from our local school districts, parents, teachers and many others in Somerville and Medford, we passed comprehensive education funding reform this fall. This once-in-a-generation piece of legislation will positively impact every student and school in the Commonwealth, especially for low-income students, students in Special Education, and English language learners. There is also increased funding for mental health services and health care costs, and charter tuition reimbursements will be fully funded. This bill will better prepare our students and provide adequate resources for teachers. Thank you to everyone who participated in the process. It was absolutely critical to have community partnerships to bring investments into our community.

Traffic Study & Improvements – Mystic Valley Parkway

In the FY20 state budget, we secured funding to commission a master plan of part of Route 16, running through Cambridge, Somerville and Medford. As I hear so often from community members, this major parkway has safety challenges for all users. This plan will help the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) create shovel-ready projects to improve safety and traffic flow. I am continuing to work closely with Sen. Jehlen, city staff and people in the neighborhood–and I look forward to continuing to collaborate as the plan gets underway.

Streetscape Improvements and Affordable Housing – Clarendon Hill Redevelopment

After years of work by many residents, we secured a $4.4 million state grant to build a new street at the North Street/Clarendon Hill housing and reorganize the Alewife Brook Parkway/Powderhouse Boulevard rotary into a simple four-way intersection. This infrastructure project will improve the safety of these streets for all users, and will help to rebuild Clarendon Hill and add many units of affordable housing. It is thanks to Clarendon Residents United, Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), the City Council, the City of Somerville, and the state that this project is moving forward.

Safety Improvements – Mystic Ave.

Everyone who lives on or near Mystic Ave. knows that it is dangerous for pedestrians, particularly along I-93. I have been working hard to improve this area, but we faced challenges from the state’s pace to take action. Our community experienced two fatal tragedies this year along Mystic Ave., tragedies which brought an opportunity to improve conditions. I stood with the community to demand safety improvements and we were finally able to get some positive changes. Thanks to neighborhood partners, especially people from the Mystic housing development and Ten Hills, we secured new, more visible crosswalks and improved pedestrian walk signal timing at the Shore Drive and Temple Street intersection. Just outside of my district, signage and pavement markings at the Kensington crossing have been added as well. More improvements are on the way, and I look forward to continuing to work together.

As we look ahead to next year, I am committed to continuing to engage with residents. What are your priorities? What do you want to see us accomplish in this next year? What do you see in our district that needs funding? What bills are you passionate about?

In addition to these projects, I’m working on policies to support immigrants and women’s rights, accelerate our action on climate change, and make new investments in transportation and affordable housing. Whether you are interested in a local project or a statewide bill, I would like to partner with you, and I encourage you to reach out and contact my office. In our current political landscape, it’s easy to feel despair. In Massachusetts, we have so much more work to do, more progress to make, and more barriers to break. Because of your advocacy, and our partnership, I know we’ll get there. I hope you will reach out with your ideas and comments to help push us forward.